The Doug Mirabelli Trade: An Oral History of the Red Sox's Legendary Emergency Catcher Acquisition

'We're going to trade for Doug Mirabelli.' And I said, 'What? He's in San Diego.' And he said, 'I know. We're going to fly him in.' And I said, 'You can't do that.' And he said, 'We can do whatever we want.' — John Farrell, Red Sox pitching coach

'I remember thinking, 'This is the greatest thing that's ever happened.' I was just so excited. I was going back to Boston. I was going to catch Wake. I was going to catch the knuckleball. I was going to be with my boys again.' — Doug Mirabelli

'The place went absolutely nuts. It was like the president had walked in. It was the loudest ovation I've ever heard for a backup catcher.' — Jason Varitek, Red Sox catcher/captain